NLMK Group, an international steel company with operations in Russia, the USA and the European Union, expands the perimeter of its “Steel Tree” environmental program and announces the launch of target grant allocation to local communities and NGO’s in Lipetsk region, Stary Oskol (Belgorod region) and Zarinsk (Altai region), where NLMK’s key companies are located.
The “Steel Tree” program of environmental initiatives was launched at the beginning of 2017. It enabled NLMK Lipetsk employees to execute more than ten community-oriented environmental initiatives of their own with the financial support of NLMK’s “Miloserdiye” charity fund and methodological assistance from company specialists.
In 2018, the environmental initiative competition will be open not only to employees, but to local residents and NGO’s as well. The competition committee, comprised of Charity Fund representatives, NLMK Group and local administration officials, will select the winners that are going to receive grants of up to 300,000 rubles ($5,100), methodological and organizational support.
Viktor Togobetsky, NLMK Group Vice President for Occupational Health, Safety and the Environment, said: “The idea of the “Steel Tree” is to engage proactive and motivated individuals by offering them the opportunity to execute their environmental ideas for the benefit of the community. NLMK Group and “Miloserdiye” Charity Fund have only launched the program last year, and its participants have already executed more than ten important environmental projects. That means the ideas are there, the proactive people are there, so all we need to do is provide support. And that’s precisely what we do as a socially responsible business.”
Ecology48 environmental portal was selected as the communication platform for the “Steel Tree” program. All information about the competition will be posted on the “Miloserdiye” Fund’s Vkontakte page.
As part of the “Steel Tree” program in 2017, participants of NLMK’s “Young Leader” corporate competition conceptualized and executed 11 environmental projects, including amelioration of the Matyr reservoir, cleaning of the Nizhny Park drainage system, installation of solar batteries on a multi-apartment residential building, creation of a graffiti art object, green belt clean-up and tree planting, revival of the recreational area at Syrskoye village, organization of an eco-quest and an eco-festival of intellectual games. (NLMK/Ukrainian metal)